Kelvin Herrera, Alex Rios Diagnosed with Chickenpox

A chickenpox outbreak in the Royals clubhouse left Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Rios and relief pitcher Kelvin Herrera out of the lineup for what was expected to be at least two weeks, per Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star on Sept. 1.

However, Rios returned to the clubhouse on Sept. 7. 

Continue for updates.

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Rios 'Back to Normal,' Herrera Still Recovering 

Monday, Sept. 7

Rios said he never had the symptoms of chickenpox, just the bumps, and they are now crusted over, according to Matthew DeFranks 810AM in Kansas City. 

According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), on Sept. 3, "Royals manager Ned Yost said Herrera and Rios were both recovering quickly and that they could come to the ballpark early Friday for a workout. They would be sure to leave before the rest of the team arrived to start a three-game series against the White Sox."

“A child might have a couple hundred lesions,” Rafael Harpaz, a medical epidemiologist from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told McCullough. “An adult might have over 500. The likelihood that they’ll end up getting pneumonia is much higher. That’s pretty rare in children. So there’s a number of complications that are more common in adults than in children."

Rios, 34, is hitting .253/.288/.333 with two home runs and 22 RBI this season. His illness will be somewhat offset by the return of Alex Gordon, who had been out since July with a strained groin. 

Herrera is 4-2 with a 2.12 ERA and 0.99 WHIP this season but is far more replaceable. With its September call-ups, Kansas City has more arms on the roster than at any other point this season, so losing a reliever—even a talented one—hasn't been a crushing blow.

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